Kneecap aren’t backing down. In the lead-up to Mo Chara’s court appearance today, the Belfast rap trio have hit London with a wall of billboard defiance.
Each one stamped with the message: “More Blacks, More Dogs, More Irish, Mo Chara.”
It’s a deliberate reworking of the racist, xenophobic slogan that once appeared across British boarding houses and pubs — “No Blacks, No Irish, No Dogs” — and a pointed reminder of the long, ugly history of criminalising the “wrong” kind of people for the “wrong” kind of politics.
Kneecap say the charge against Mo Chara — real name Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh — is rooted in that same legacy. He’s accused of displaying a Hezbollah flag during a London gig last November. The band, who’ve repeatedly denied supporting any proscribed groups or inciting violence, have called the case a “witch hunt” and a “carnival of distraction”.
They posted the billboard rollout on socials, writing: “British courts have long charged people from the North of Ireland with ‘terrorism’ for crimes never committed. We will fight them. We will win.”
Mo Chara himself didn’t mince words at Wide Awake Festival last month: “They’re trying to silence us before we hit the stage at Glastonbury like we did at Coachella. But the fact I’m saying this to thousands of you, and you agree — shows we’re on the right side of history.”
Of course, Kneecap being Kneecap, he also invited fans to “bring a big bag of ket” to Westminster Magistrates’ Court for tomorrow’s hearing.
Support is growing. Love Music Hate Racism have thrown their weight behind the band. Massive Attack, Fontaines D.C., Brian Eno, Johnny Marr, Tom Morello and Pulp are among those signing open letters defending their right to speak out. As Massive Attack put it plainly: “Kneecap are not the story. Gaza is the story. Genocide is the story.”
With Glastonbury looming and tensions high, Kneecap aren’t just testing the boundaries of protest art. They’re stomping on them in steel-toe boots.
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